The Church of the Messiah’s

Good News May 31, 2020

Welcome to the Church of the Messiah

We are delighted to have you worshiping with us.

“i thank You God”

i thank You God for most this amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today, and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing breathing any—lifted from the no of all nothing—human merely being doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

e e cummings

This poem was originally published in Xaipe1 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1950), reissued in 2004 by Liveright, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company. Reprinted here by permission of the publisher. Copyright expires 2045. (Reference found on the internet.)

Church of the Messiah Mission Statement

The Church of the Messiah is an inclusive and welcoming community

- Committed to serving God by serving neighbors near and far;

- Affirming the dignity of every human being;

- Believing we are called to be stewards of creation. - adopted by the Vestry of the Church of the Messiah on February 10, 2015.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE

The bishops continue to extend virtual worship through July 1st.

Although Governor Baker has lifted the moratorium on worship communities, all Episcopal Churches in

Massachusetts will continue to offer only virtual worship through July 1st. A detailed directive has been

sent to all rectors outlining a very specific procedure that must be followed prior to re-gathering and

thereafter. An advisory committee to the rector has been formed to implement this plan here at the

Church of the Messiah. We will keep you informed as details and our plans unfold. Thank you for your

ongoing support as we seek to uphold the dignity and safety of all people during this pandemic.

Our Sunday worship services continue to be live-streamed at 10 AM via Zoom. Information on how

to join these services and how to download Zoom may be found below and will be sent out in a

separate Constant Contact e-mail .

INSTRUCTIONS TO DOWNLOAD ZOOM: 1) Go to this link: https://zoom.us/download and follow the directions to download Zoom. Depending on

what type of device you are using, the link will take you to the Zoom website or the App Store if you are

on a mobile device. Zoom is free, and there is no need to sign up or create an account. All you need is

the software/app installed on your device.

2) Then join us for Morning Prayer this Sunday at 10am by clicking this

link: https://zoom.us/j/632447285 We suggest you plan on getting to our virtual church at 9:45am to give

yourself plenty of time to get settled. You can go ahead and test this link now ahead of time to make sure

that everything is working. Because virtual church hasn’t actually started yet, you will end up looking at a

screen that may show a live video of you if you have a camera. On Sunday at 9:45am when you join, you

will be looking at the sanctuary.

FINANCIAL OFFERINGS AND DONATIONS: Although our church office is closed, we monitor the

mail, voicemail and email on a regular basis. Please continue to send financial contributions by mail to the

Church of the Messiah, 16 Church Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543. These can be sent on a weekly,

monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual basis. We also have the capacity to receive stock transfers. For

further information, please call the church office at 508-548-2145 and leave a voice mail.

PARISH PRAYER LIST

Our prayers are asked for those who suffer from addiction, anxiety, are survivors of abuse or assault, those

who are undergoing treatment or living with cancer, are unemployed or homeless. We pray for refugees

seeking safety and security in this and other countries and for all who are ministering to their needs.

Lastly, we pray for all who are suffering from or ministering to those with the COVID-19 here and around

the world. In our parish, we continue to pray for Charlie, Gloria, Sally and Larry.

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CELEBRATING GOD’S CREATION: Caring for this corner of the earth

INVASIVE PLANTS AND NATIVE PLANT ALTERNATIVES

Following up on last week's information about invasive plants, this week we will look at another common

invasive plant, as well as a wonderful alternative native plant that you can include in your garden.

Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) was introduced from Asia in 1875 as a shrub used for hedgerows

and an ornamental garden plant, but was quickly realized to be terribly invasive. In 2006 it was added to

the Massachusetts list of invasive and prohibited plants. It easily spreads by seeds eaten by birds and small

mammals, and forms dense thickets, which then displace native plants and trees. It is also a magnet for

ticks. Mature barberry plants are the right height for deer ticks to attach to a passing deer. Deer ticks are

major carriers of Lyme disease. If you have one of these shrubs in your garden, please consider removing it

to help reduce the tick population. Here is a link for help with identification:

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/berberis/thunbergii/

A wonderful alternative to Japanese Barberry is the North American native Atlantic Ninebark

(Physocarpus opulifolius). While not a native to Cape Cod and much of New England (it is a native south

of us), it works well here as a garden plant in place of barberry and supports a variety of birds and insects.

It has a long season of interest with spring flowers, colorful berries, beautiful foliage and exfoliating bark.

There are a number of varieties with various colors of foliage available.

- Brittany and the Environmental Committee

REGIONAL POLICY PLAN Re: The Cape Cod Commission The Cape Cod Commission plays a leadership role in planning and policymaking across Cape Cod,

regulating developments of regional impact, and making decisions on buildings and infrastructure that will

last for decades. On May 28th, the Commission will hold a virtual public hearing to consider proposed

amendments to its Regional Policy Plan (RPP) . Further information on reading this plan and possibly

taking action related to it, please consider visiting the website: www.350.capecod.org

WAYS TO SAVE THE PLANET – Simple Things Can Make a Difference

1. Use Energy Efficient Lightbulbs:

Energy efficient lightbulbs are a simple way to reduce the amount of power you use. Not only will

this help the planet, it will also save your bank balance too. By replacing just one lightbulb, the

effect can be tremendous. If every house in the USA did this, it would reduce pollution by the same

amount as removing one million cars from the road!

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2. Turn Your Computer Off Overnight: If you turn your computer off every night, again you will reduce the power you use. You will save

an average of $14 a year. It’s not a huge amount, but better in your pocket than your energy

supplier’s right?

3. Don’t Pre-Rinse the Dishes: If you can’t live without your dishwasher, then at least cut the pre-rinse. With a decent detergent,

your dishes will be just as clean and you can save an average of twenty gallons of water per load.

LOCAL CSA’s (Community Sustainable Agriculture farms)

As we scramble to secure groceries, what better time to embrace our local CSA’s and businesses that

source local, sustainable foods. Please see the list below for some of our area contacts. These farmers

have different offerings and plans. All in the spirit of Buy Local!

Bay End Farm, Buzzards Bay www.bayendfarm.com/farmstand

contact them for CSA details

Bootstrap Farm, Cataumet www.bootstrapfarm.com

Offering curbside delivery for members. Public shopping is also available, currently for Tuesday,

Friday & Saturday pick up. Order online, with car delivery at store. Please visit our website for the

latest public shopping hours.

Cape Cod Organic Farm, Barnstable www.capecodorganicfarm.org

May 27- September 30 for pick up at Farm

Coonamessett Farm, Hatchville www.coonamessettfarm.com

offers a variety of CSA options for pick up at Farm. The Farm Market is open Wednesdays through

Sundays 9 am to 5 pm. They are now taking SNAP program EBT cards. They have an expanded

grocery section including produce, cheese, and meats. They also have take-home meals, fresh and

frozen, made at the farm by Buffalo Jump.

DaSilva Farms, Teaticket www.dasilvafarm.com

offers a variety of CSA options for meat and eggs. Sign up to receive updates for delivery schedule.

Pariah Dog Farm, East Falmouth www.pariahdogfarm.com

contact them for CSA details. Vegetables, fruit, herbs, eggs, maple syrup, sea salt and honey

WOODS HOLE RESEARCH CENTER OFFERING SPRING WEBINAR SERIES

Here’s something to add to our “stay at home” list…The Woods Hole Research Center is offering a spring

lecture series to help people of all ages understand current research in climate change. To register for this

free series, please go to the Woods Hole Research Center website: www.whrc.org and follow the prompts.

You can also view previous webinars in the series on this site.

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PASTORAL REFLECTION BY BISHOP GATES ON MEMORIAL DAY COMMEMORATIONS

May 22, 2020

Hello friends,

Since moving back to Massachusetts six years ago, I have developed a sacred ritual. Each year, late

in May, I pack up a rake and a trash bag, a bucket, and a scrub brush, and make the drive out to

Bedford. There I spend some quiet time tidying up the family graves. It’s a wooded spot, so there is

the winter debris of leaves and branches to clear. The family headstone and the individual markers

for my grandparents – and for the past four years, my father – all get a good scrub. Finally, having

stopped off at the nursery, I leave behind some flowers. There are formal Memorial Day ceremonies

in that cemetery as well. But I especially cherish the quiet, personal ritual. It’s about remembrance

and gratitude.

Memorial Day, as you likely know, has its roots after the Civil War. In the years following the end of

that cataclysmic conflict, many communities began holding commemorative gatherings and parades

to honor the fallen. Decoration Day, as it came to be called, was established as a holiday on May

30th in all the Northern States by 1890.

The earliest antecedent might be a memorial event held in Charleston, South Carolina. Towards the

end of the Civil War, the racetrack of a formerly posh country club was hastily turned into a prison

for captured Union soldiers. More than 260 of them died of disease and exposure, and were buried in

a mass grave behind the grandstand. When Charleston was surrendered to the North in February

1865, one of the first things done by a group of freed slaves was to give the Union soldiers a proper

burial.

Then, on May 1, 1865, according to press reports in Charleston and New York, a crowd of 10,000

gathered – mostly freed slaves and some white missionaries – to parade around the race track, sing,

and pray. Members of the 54th Massachusetts regiment, and other black Union soldiers, marched

that day. It’s an extraordinarily moving story about sacrifice and gratitude and remembrance.

Decoration Day took on renewed importance after each of the two World Wars. Gradually it became

more widely known as Memorial Day, and it was established as a federal holiday in the

1960s. Perhaps when it was shifted from May 30 to become a Monday holiday in 1971, it began its

cultural transformation from marking sacrifice with parades, to marking the beginning of summer

with barbecues.

For the past six weeks or so, outside of my apartment in Boston, there has arisen a great ruckus at

7:00 p.m. every day. People on balconies of several surrounding buildings come out to holler and

cheer and clap and bang pots. It is meant as an exuberant expression of gratitude to people on the

front lines of the battle against the Coronavirus – health care workers, sanitary workers, and those

whose supply of our basic needs enables so many of us to shelter safely. The movement is known by

such monikers as #MakeAJoyfulNoise or #ClapBecauseWeCare.

In its European origins the sounds from the balcony were perhaps a bit more dignified: Italian

musicians performing sonatas for their neighbors; Britons keeping calm and singing God Save the

Queen. Hereabouts we bang pots and blow air horns. One nurse has pleaded with her neighbors to

please stop waking up her baby every evening just before the mother has to head off to her hospital

shift! Still, I expect that the impetus was noble. It’s about sacrifice and gratitude.

I myself am not a pot-banger nor a hollerer. The 7 o’clock clatter does not generally find me on the

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balcony. But I know I must find other ways for remembrance, sacrifice, and gratitude. While not a

yeller, I’m a pray-er. The opportunity for intercessory prayers is clear. While not having air horns to

blow, I have resources to share. The opportunities to support those doing frontline battle with the

Coronavirus are countless, from United Way’s Covid Family Support Fund, to the MANNA ministry

at our own cathedral. Local hospitals from Lowell General to MGH to Cape Cod Health Care –

probably your local hospital – most of these have emergency funds for employees, or ways to

provide meals for those laboring on our behalf. All of these, and more, are ways to express sacrifice

and thankfulness.

On this Memorial Day weekend, I invite you to a time of remembrance and gratitude. Remember

those in your own life and history who have made some sacrifice for you. And remember those who

even now are making sacrifices for us all, that we might endure this frightening time.

Whether you are a pot-banger or a hymn-singer; a grave-decorator or a thank-you note writer; a

prayer-lifter or a donation gifter; …may we each, in our own way, be people of gratitude and

generosity.

Faithfully and fondly,

+Alan The Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates

A PRAYER FOR OUR FUTURE As our capital campaign continues, we invite you to join together in praying the following prayer that was composed by

members of the parish and the rector.

O God, Giver of all good gifts,

we thank You for the grace of serving You by serving our neighbors.

May our hearts be kind and generous.

May our ministry be rooted in love and bold in imagination.

Having transformed the Parish and Community Center, may our lives

and the lives of all who join us, continue to be renewed by Your love and the

power of the Spirit. Amen.

UPDATE ON THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

While most of the response to our Fall 2019 campaign outreach was in hand by the time of our January

Annual Meeting, we do continue to receive significant donations. To the gifts, pledges, and bequests

reported at the Meeting, we have since received from both new and earlier donors, additional gifts of

$23,225 bringing our total to date to $2,418,000. We will continue fundraising through August. We

continue to welcome pledges as well as checks. The dream outcome would be raising the full $2.7 cost of

the completed building. As most of you know, even under the constraints imposed by the Covid-19

emergency, through the power of Zoom our new Parish and Community Center remains a focal point for a

wide range of activities from committee meetings to meditation sessions.

Charles Mann, Chair, Capital Campaign Phase 2 Sandra Rodgers, Chair, Capital Campaign Phase 1 Don Aukamp Carol Casey Deborah Dougherty Arden Edwards Mark Haycock

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Church of the Messiah

2020 Vestry

The Rev. Deborah M. Warner Rector

Jean Taft Warden

Nancy Rea Warden

Winifred Dick Clerk

John Nolan Treasurer

Susan Morse 2021 Mary Fran Buckley 2021

Don Aukamp 2022 Paul Graney 2022

Charles Mann 2023 Peg Nicholson 2023

Deanery Representatives

Dicky Allison Diocesan, Deanery Representative

Helen Gordon Diocesan, Deanery Representative

Carol Casey Deanery Representative

Staff

The Rev. Deborah Warner Rector

Brittany Lord Music Director, Organist

Nancy McDonald Parish Administrator

Jennifer Kelly Bookkeeper & Financial Recorder

Bruce Bagley Church Sexton

Doug Amon Cemetery Sexton

Jessica Morrison Webmaster

The Rev. Deborah M. Warner

Cell: 508-259-1570, E-mail: dwarner74@aol.com

Office hours: Monday – Thursday, 10 AM – 2 PM

Phone: 508-548-2145, FAX: 508-548-2134

E-mail: Website: www.churchofthemessiahwoodshole.org